Say the word “festival” to ten people, and you’ll likely receive ten completely different stories about events they’ve attended, from cultural festivals to state fairs, some outdoors, other indoors, many focused on music, others centered on art, from world-famous festivals to unique local festivals (did you know there is at least one festival devoted to the lima bean?!). While a “festival” can conjure up many various experiences, the commonality they share boils down to one thing: a fun celebration. A festival at its very essence, strives to attract and share a celebration with attendees!

So when a festival takes place in an area already known for its tourism, such as Gettysburg, it’s a win-win situation. The historic town of Gettysburg is located within Pennsylvania’s #1 most-visited region. According to the Gettysburg Convention & Visitors Bureau, nearly 3 million people are visiting Gettysburg annually.

Sunset on the Gettysburg Battlefield

The mayor of our small Civil War era town, William Troxell, enjoys calling Gettysburg “the most famous small town in America.” The Civil War battle that raged in and around the town for three days in 1863 determined the fate of a young United State of America, and forever sealed Gettysburg’s prominent place in history. To visit and view these fateful and beautiful battlefields in person is a spine-tingling experience. So much so, that many Gettysburg visitors are repeat visitors, drawn to our charming town over and over again, to experience the history anew, or to combine their love of history with many of the fantastic value-added experiences offered throughout the Gettysburg area, such as our festivals.

Fragrant fields... the main attraction at the PA Lavender Festival

Yes Gettysburg is known for its history, but more than ever before, we are gaining a reputation for the great variety of outstanding festivals offered in the Gettysburg region.

So, in this era of Facebook friends, and our Friends of the Festival membership campaign here at the Gettysburg Festival, we thought it was high time we developed friendships with other great Gettysburg festivals. The end result, several months later, is a Gettysburg Area Festival Alliance which joins six of Gettysburg’s most fantastic festivals in cooperation with one another. We are thrilled to announce this partnership, especially since our festivals add many exciting reasons to come to Gettysburg, beyond the history.

Members of the newly-formed Gettysburg Festival Alliance

You’ll be hearing more about each of the following festival “friends.” We invite you to visit their websites, subscribe to their newsletters, follow them on Facebook and become “friends” yourself. Gettysburg may have made a name for itself through battle, but as we like to say at the Gettysburg Festival, we hope you experience “the civil side of Gettysburg” too.